Lebanese expats who moved to Abu Dhabi in the 1960s recall building the city’s first bookstore

“Our first store was on Airport Road, opposite Al Manhar Palace,” Khayat, now in his 70s, told Gulf News. He said it has been a great honor to have many VVIPs as his clients over the years.

This summer, the store was duly recognized as an urban gem by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Calling it a “huge honour”, Khayat was happy to share his memories of the UAE capital when it was a “one-street city”.

Although he was young when he first arrived in Abu Dhabi, Hayat already had experience in the book trade in his hometown of Beirut and further developed the business by opening another bookstore in Kuwait. After learning of the UAE’s growing status, he decided to come to the UAE as he has several friends in town, including Zaki Nusseibeh, who is currently cultural adviser to the UAE President.

“When we landed at the airport in the propeller plane, there was only the barracks in front of us. We had to wait for the dust to settle before we could disembark and we had to go to this small airport with our suitcases. We stamped our passports and headed to Abu Zabi. This is my first experience [of the city],” recalled Hayat.

Although there were two small hotels in town at the time, Khayat said he was lucky to live in the villa with Nusseibeh, who worked for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father. Soon after, he found a leader to open a bookstore. Khayat said his idea was warmly welcomed, a big encouragement to his success.

“I found a space in the so-called Mohammad Al Hurr building and brought some titles in Arabic, English and French. We will also bring in the latest magazines and regional newspapers. Encyclopedias are also right in the age of no internet. A big draw for residents. We also have the BBC language tapes that people want,” Kayat said.

The store has done a great job catering to both Emirati and expatriate customers. By the 1980s, All Prints had become a household name, frequented by residents to read. It eventually moved to another location within a short period of time before moving to its current location on Hamdan Bin Moahmmed Street in the 1990s.

The company dabbled in publishing and started stocking up on the latest software and digital education technology to keep up with the times. It also provides teacher training for educators and supports Abu Dhabi’s transformation from an oil production hub to a knowledge economy.

Meanwhile, Hayat, who travels between Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, got married. He became the father of five children, two of whom settled in the UAE. One of them, Nadia, is now the managing director of All Prints.

To this day, the bookstore remains one of the most popular institutions in Abu Dhabi, with long-time expats making cherished memories as they flip through their favourite readings at the bookstore. Looking ahead, Khayat said he was fortunate to have achieved success in the “noble field” of promoting education, arts and culture in the UAE.

“I promise we will do better and continue to support the UAE,” Khayat said.